What is this skill?
Figurative language is writing that means something other than its plain words. A simile compares two things using like or as: "The baby's cheeks were as red as apples." A metaphor says one thing is another: "The classroom was a zoo after the fire drill." Fourth graders learn to spot each, say what is being compared, and explain what the writer means. They also learn that something can be figurative without being either, and that plain, literal writing has its place.
The practice goes in steps. First, is it a simile or a metaphor, and what two things are being compared (Grandpa's hands and sandpaper). Then what a comparison means: that Leo's legs felt like jelly, or that Maya is a shining star on the soccer field. Harder questions pick which sentence holds a simile ("The snow fell like feathers from the sky") or a metaphor ("The sun was a giant golden coin in the sky"), find the literal sentence among figurative ones ("The puppy chewed my sneaker"), explain "The test was a mountain, and Sofia had forgotten her climbing gear," and ask why a writer says the old car coughed and wheezed. Sorting tasks place sentences such as "Her voice was like music" and "His room is a pigsty," and sort literal from figurative.
Why it matters
Figurative language runs through the stories, poems and even the news that children read. A child who takes "my backpack weighs a ton" word for word will have a hard time with a lot of ordinary writing. Understanding that language can mean more than it says is a step toward reading well.
It is also a pleasure. Children who learn to notice and enjoy a good comparison often begin to invent their own, and that brings life to their writing without anyone asking for it.
Common mistakes
- Calling anything with like in it a simile. A simile compares two different things. "He looked like his father" is not figurative.
- Explaining only what the words say. When asked what a metaphor means, a child may repeat the sentence. Push for what it tells us: the hallway was crowded and everyone was moving the same way.
- Treating exaggeration as a lie or a mistake. "My backpack weighs a ton" is not meant as a fact. It is a way to say something is heavy.
- Mixing the terms. Simile and metaphor are easy to swap. Ask, "Does it say like or as? If not, it says one thing is another."
How to help at home
- Invent comparisons together at dinner: "The pasta was as ... as ..." and "Tonight's homework is a ..." Then label them simile or metaphor.
- Look for figurative language in song lyrics, which are full of it, and ask what the singer means.
- Take a plain sentence from your child's writing and ask them to upgrade it with one comparison.
- Collect a few common sayings, like "raining cats and dogs" or "a piece of cake," and talk about why nobody means them literally.
Worked examples
These are real questions from the Tutorsaurus similes and metaphors practice, with the answers worked out.
Example 1
True or false: "The moon was a silver coin" is a simile.
Answer: False. False. It says the moon WAS a coin, with no "like" or "as," so it is a metaphor.
Example 2
What does this metaphor mean?
Maya is a shining star on the soccer field.
Choices: Maya stands out because she plays very well, Maya is far away, Maya glows in the dark, Maya plays at night
Answer: Maya stands out because she plays very well. A star stands out and shines, so the metaphor means Maya is an outstanding player.
Example 3
These are trickier. Is each one a simile or a metaphor?
To sort: Her mind is a steel trap, The fog crept in like a cat, The city is a beehive of activity, His words cut like a knife, Hope is a bird that never stops singing
Answer: Simile: The fog crept in like a cat, His words cut like a knife · Metaphor: Her mind is a steel trap, The city is a beehive of activity, Hope is a bird that never stops singing. The fog and the words use "like," so they are similes. The others state one thing is another, so they are metaphors.